Wireless communication device, such as cell phones, have taken over much of the communications between people, that conventional landline services provided by telephone companies (e.g., AT&T, Verizon) are increasingly being replaced. One method of replacing conventional landline service has been the incorporation of Voice over IP (VoIP), wherein two-way communications is conducted over the Internet.
Cell phones, which were originally designed for voice communications between two people, have expanded their use to be connected to other cell phones, landline services and VoIP services, to provide not only voice transmission but also digital (data) transmission (e.g., SMS, texting, etc.), and access to the internet (i.e., web browsing). Cell phones (or similar wireless devices (e.g., iPad)) have incorporated camera systems that allow for the taking of photographs and/or video and the subsequent transmission of the photographs/videos through the Internet (e.g., WI-FI access) or cellular networks.
While communication devices provide ample opportunity for persons to access the entire world, there are situations in which access to the features of the wireless device are to be limited. For example, in a secure area, such as a correction facility, the management of the area may require users within the area to be denied one or more access features.
Management in many of these facilities is faced with several problems with the increased use of cell phones (or other similar devices) and the technology associated with the cell phones or other similar devices).
Furthermore, current correction facility phone usage is controlled through a land-line system that requires maintenance of the existing land line network. As land line usage is fading from usage, the land line networks are not being upgraded.
Since, inmates, within a correction facility, are legally denied access to the features of the wireless devices, smuggling of cell phones and other similar transmission capable devices, and the illegal use of these devices within the facility, is becoming an ever-increasing problem for the management of the facility. However, as the landline networks age, facility management may be required to allow a certain amount of controlled cell phone usage from those persons who are not generally authorized to operate a cell phone within the secured area.
However, as more cell phones are allowed to be used within the secured area, their random usage creates situations where multiple phones, operating on similar frequencies (or channels) may cause interference that prevents the usage of an appropriate signal. In this case, the interference may cause the determination of an incorrect location, since the characteristics of the interfering signal skew the location determination.
Since an incorrect location determination may result in authorized communications from being prohibited or unauthorized communication from being allowed, it is important to provide for an accurate location determination in supporting the management of wireless transmission devices within a secured area.
Hence, there is a need in the industry for a system and method for management of cell phones or other types of communication devices within a secured area.